Carnival Cruiser Experiences Disney for the First Time!

[Smart Arsenal Fan]

Btw, I've heard there's just no comparison between Carnival & Crystal Cruises.

 

So Buyer Beware! :eek:

[crzndeb]

Also, I think some would be be surprised that costs may be closer than they think, especially those with high bar tabs and high casino losses.

 

You can bring your own alcohol on Disney ships, and no casino. For some, a Disney cruise may even be less. LOL

[Stacy_C]

just remember to account for the extra charge for the kids club on disney and charge to setup an account on your sign/sail card for adults as well.

 

coworker just got back from a disney cruise and was not expecting the fees of

 

$48 per kid regardless of how much/little is used at kids club and $48 to setup each charge card/key for the adults.

 

i never knew there were such fees associated on disney..but then i don't care since I"m a DINK kind of person :D

 

 

Yes, just to reiterate the others, this is not true. I am a Disney travel agent (land and cruise vacations) and have cruised with DCL and have never encountered this myself and neither have any of my clients.

[jayjay94]

Thanks for the comparison. I have been wanting to do a Disney cruise but wasn't sure if I could justify the price difference. DH and I are in our 30s with no children. I have been told by some that Disney cruises are more geared toward families with young children. Would you say that is the case? Also are there children running around everywhere? When we cruise Carnival in the summer there are gangs of children and teens roaming the ship at all hours. I prefer Carnival during the school year when there are hardly any children on board.

 

I just got back from a Disney cruise this weekend and I am a 31 year old guy. Yes it was great , But for the Adult night life it was depressing. There was 4 people in the night club the first night, around 8 the second night and 1 person sitting in the bar the third night. But overall Yes! Service , Food and Family/Kids activities were great. I will definitely cruise with Disney again but it has to be with kids. Not with my Gf or Solo...

[jayjay94]

Oh and another great thing about Disney is that you can bring in whatever liquor you like on your carry on.. So I saved lots of money on Booze... If I am not mistaken I only purchased two drinks on board. So Disney gets another check mark for that... But still Depressing night life so what good did it do to have that good buzz when I was sleeping by 1am.. :confused: But yea :D for the liquor you can carry on...

Edited March 4, 2014 by jayjay94

[jwalk03]

Oh and another great thing about Disney is that you can bring in whatever liquor you like on your carry on.. So I saved lots of money on Booze... If I am not mistaken I only purchased two drinks on board. So Disney get another check mark for that... But still Depressing night life so what good did it do to have that good buzz when I was sleeping by 1am.. :confused: But yea :D for the liquor you can carry on...

 

Yes! Thank you. I forget to mention this in my original post. You can bring your own liquor, wine, or beer, without having to smuggle. Techincally you are only suppose to drink it in your cabin, but its very easy to make yourself a drink and then take it with you wherever you are going. Our room steward was excellent at keeping the ice bucket full so I could drink my Captain & Cokes!

 

The drink prices onboard are also far more reasonable than Carnival prices.

[maurinsky2]

The best way to experience a Disney cruise is to take it after a visit to Disneyworld, which is something we did in 1998 for our 10th anniversary. No better time to savor the relaxation of a cruise than after walking your butt off for several days at Disneyworld.

[Pine Bluff]

We had 15 Carnival cruises under our belt when we tried our first of 3 cruises onDCL. Each time we did the Land/Sea package, with 3 days at the Polynesian, and 4 days each time oin the Wonder.

 

We lloved that our key to the hotel followed us to the ship, and had oine charge account. Even transporting our luggage to the ship for us!

 

We loved our staterroom, the size, the split bathroom, the CURTAIN for privacy to the kids, as well as such a sleek ship. The only two complaints I had was the food, and the lack of a casino. Having all the clubs tucked on deck 3 forward just moved the heart of the ship to an odd location.

 

And that visit to Castaway Cay? Nothing rivals it!

[jayjay94]

Yes! Thank you. I forget to mention this in my original post. You can bring your own liquor, wine, or beer, without having to smuggle. Techincally you are only suppose to drink it in your cabin, but its very easy to make yourself a drink and then take it with you wherever you are going. Our room steward was excellent at keeping the ice bucket full so I could drink my Captain & Cokes!

 

The drink prices onboard are also far more reasonable than Carnival prices.

 

Yes I did notice the price on Liquor was cheaper then Carnival.. But I love Carnival and I now love Disney.. Cruising is just the best period..... :D

[cruisecraze96]

LOL!!!

 

My husband has never been to Disney and wants us to do a DCL. I showed him the prices and he almost passed out!! No Casino on board this ship(?) and I must admit that I do like the playing the slots and I'm a low roller :rolleyes:

That is why we have not taken one. Since my parents like to join us, and help with costs then, I try to keep it a happy middle where they have most the things they enjoy. Sadly this is 1. smoking on the balcony (yuck I know) and 2. casino so we have not done a Disney Cruise yet.

 

Hopefully I can sneak one in without them feeling left out ;) I think the girls would love DCL and DH says ththat he is game for going.

[Disneycruisers]

I just returned from my first Disney Cruise

 

Which Disney ship?:) (I might have missed it.)

 

Great and thorough review. Next time, be certain to book Palo brunch (if available.)

:)

[Linerguy]

I've also been on both Disney and Carnival, and, for the money, Disney simply isn't worth the ridiculous price difference. Sure, it's a great product – but it's a lousy value. Disney has only four ships, and they know they can always find enough people to fill those four ships.....even at over-blown prices. Think about it: Carnival has 23 ships...I assure you, if Disney had 23 ships, it would also have to water-down it's pricing.

 

Disney is the cockiest, most arrogant travel company in the world. It thinks that all it has to do is slap it's logo on something and it instantly becomes worth two or three times as much. Some people buy into it...others – myself included – don't.

[Aliases101]

I'll be going on my first cruise in 2015 and DCL was my first choice. But I'm traveling with tons of family and they were complaining about the price. So after some looking around I happened upon Carnival. I'm super excited to be sailing on the Dream in the future but am saddened that I won't get my Disney fix until the following year. I talked them into going to Disney World and staying at the Resorts. We can all stay at different priced resorts and still experience the same entertainment and I heard the food at the parks is amazing. I hope someday I'll get to try out the High Rated Disney Fantasy someday. The reviews are amazing.

[jwalk03]

Which Disney ship?:) (I might have missed it.)

 

Great and thorough review. Next time, be certain to book Palo brunch (if available.)

:)

 

Disney Dream. We only did the 3-day, so no Palo Brunch was available. We are going to do a 7-day on the Fantasy next, and will def do Palo for brunch and dinner! I have heard all amazing things about both Palo & Remy.

[Phlybice]

I've also been on both Disney and Carnival, and, for the money, Disney simply isn't worth the ridiculous price difference. Sure, it's a great product – but it's a lousy value. Disney has only four ships, and they know they can always find enough people to fill those four ships.....even at over-blown prices. Think about it: Carnival has 23 ships...I assure you, if Disney had 23 ships, it would also have to water-down it's pricing.

 

Disney is the cockiest, most arrogant travel company in the world. It thinks that all it has to do is slap it's logo on something and it instantly becomes worth two or three times as much. Some people buy into it...others – myself included – don't.

 

We sailed Disney, and didn't pay an arm and a leg for it. We just sailed off season. Paid the same we pay on Carnival for a balcony room. Just after the kiddies went back to school.

[GatorGirl57]

We sailed Disney, and didn't pay an arm and a leg for it. We just sailed off season. Paid the same we pay on Carnival for a balcony room. Just after the kiddies went back to school.

 

...But, is the Carnival price you are quoting on season or off season? Carnival prices also go down during off-times.

[Phlybice]

...But, is the Carnival price you are quoting on season or off season? Carnival prices also go down during off-times.

 

I'm comparing it to Carnivals ON season.

[jwalk03]

I've also been on both Disney and Carnival, and, for the money, Disney simply isn't worth the ridiculous price difference. Sure, it's a great product – but it's a lousy value. Disney has only four ships, and they know they can always find enough people to fill those four ships.....even at over-blown prices. Think about it: Carnival has 23 ships...I assure you, if Disney had 23 ships, it would also have to water-down it's pricing.

 

Disney is the cockiest, most arrogant travel company in the world. It thinks that all it has to do is slap it's logo on something and it instantly becomes worth two or three times as much. Some people buy into it...others – myself included – don't.

 

 

With all do respect I completely disagree. As I pointed out a Disney cruise is so much more than just a Carnival cruise with a Mickey Mouse logo. To some the added price might not be worth it, to me it is totally worth it!

[GatorGirl57]

I'm comparing it to Carnivals ON season.

 

Right...so that is not a fair comparison?:confused:

[Phlybice]

Right...so that is not a fair comparison?:confused:

 

It's not supposed to be a comparison.

 

If one is willing to pay $$ to sail CArnival during regualr season, and wants to sail DIsney for those same bucks, consider going off season.

 

If someone just wants a cheap cruise, pick the cheap line and sail off season. :cool:

[ilovetexas]

OP, I'm glad you enjoyed it but I don't think it's worth the money.

 

My early CCL cruises had FAR better food than my first DCL cruise. Lately, CCL's food has dipped to marginal quality. That said, if I want consistently good food on a cruise, I'll go with Celebrity, not Disney.

 

The service we received on DCL was no better than we've received on any other cruise line.

 

I preferred Half Moon Cay over Castaway Cay.

 

DCL's ships are truly beautiful and they provide an excellent experience. Still, I'd rather cruise more often for the same money. My kids are too old to give a rip about Disney one way or the other...they just want a vacation that is fun and includes a beach.

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

It's on my life to do list. Thanks for sharing!

[Linerguy]

With all do respect I completely disagree. As I pointed out a Disney cruise is so much more than just a Carnival cruise with a Mickey Mouse logo. To some the added price might not be worth it, to me it is totally worth it!

 

I agree: for some people it's worth it. For me, however, I didn't find it to be all that and a bag of chips.

 

Kindest regards.

[LittleMissMagic]

Your last sentence is what really caught my attention - that you want to do another Disney Cruise, despite the price, this year before returning to Carnival. I haven't been loyal to any line lately, but after sailing the Royal Princess in December, I'm sailing the Carnival Breeze in March and will sail the Disney Fantasy in December.... I really just realized that within a year, I'll have sailed the flagship of all three cruise lines. I'm really excited to be able to compare the three, and I'm wondering if I'm going to spoil myself rotten with Disney. It's something that I've wanted to do for a while now and finally have the opportunity. The price is a little hard to swallow, but I hope that I find it worth it and am wondering if I will want to sail again so soon!

[ondeegoh]

....Disney cabins were huge! - we stayed in a balcony - and the ship is simply beautiful I don't think any can rival it. Lots of activities for the little kids. The shows were excellent. Service was good...but food was not that great, at least in our experience.

I took my two older children, DD12 and DD14, on their first cruise on the Carnival Dream. They loved it! Three months later we were joined by my young son, DD8 on the Disney Dream. It was his first and he also loved it!

About a month ago I decided to surprise them with a cruise over spring break. I was trying to get a feel for how the would react to a cruise so I asked them if they would like to go on a cruise again. I didn't expect this answer from DD12 and DD14: "Well, it depends. As long as it's not on Disney." They thought Disney was "boring" and the "food sucked." But did comment that if they were 6 years old then maybe. Anyway - they wanted to go back on the Carnival Dream for the pasta bar and the sushi bar. This time we're going on the Breeze. I made sure the Breeze had the same things they liked on the Dream - which is the pasta and sushi. I can't wait for the cruise date to come since I will keep it a surprise until embarkation day.

 

Getting back to Disney. The prices went down, which is why we went on it. Plus I wanted my son to get a very good experience on his first cruise. I knew I couldn't go wrong with Disney. Nearly everything was top notch, first class! They delivered and my son had a wonderful time. I think the girls did too - but not as much as their experience in Carnival.

 

Would we go back -- I don't know..maybe not..just seems too "quiet" for me.